Murder trial of military contractors in Afghanistan ends in mistrial, By Peter Dujardin, Daily Press
"The jury was split in the case of two contractors, who worked for a firm formerly known as Blackwater, charged with killing Afghan civilians in 2009. A retrial is scheduled for March 2011."
Reporting from Norfolk, Va. — A federal judge declared a mistrial Monday in the case of two military contractors charged with killing two Afghan civilians and wounding a third last year.
The jury returned to the courtroom at 10:45 a.m. EST on Monday and announced they were evenly divided and unable to reach a decision on the charges. After declaring a mistrial, the judge announced a new bond hearing would be held Wednesday, and a retrial would be scheduled for March 2011.
Christopher A. Drotleff, of Virginia Beach, and Justin H. Cannon, of Corpus Christi, Texas, are charged in the killings, and face the potential of life in prison if convicted.
The 12-member jury began deliberations on Thursday, when they met for about an hour, and then on Friday, when they met for about seven hours. But they were unable to reach a verdict as of 4:30 p.m. EST, and asked to meet again Monday. U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar granted that request.
In a trial that lasted more than a week, jurors heard opposing versions of the shooting of a sedan by the two contractors at about 9 p.m. on May 5, 2009, in Afghanistan.
The shooting left the sedan's driver injured and two people dead -- a passenger in the sedan and a man who happened to be walking his dog on the street.
The contractors say they fired in self-defense. They assert that the sedan sped by them as they were driving and struck another SUV they were following, causing it to flip. They said the sedan came at them when they got out to help their colleagues.
But the Justice Department said the sedan posed no threat and that the men concocted their story to cover themselves. They say the car was leaving the scene when it was shot, and that both Cannon and Drotleff were drinking that night.
The men worked for Paravant LLC, a subsidiary of Xe Services, formerly known as Blackwater USA. They were hired to help train the Afghan army in weapons use.
pdujardin@dailypress.com
The jury returned to the courtroom at 10:45 a.m. EST on Monday and announced they were evenly divided and unable to reach a decision on the charges. After declaring a mistrial, the judge announced a new bond hearing would be held Wednesday, and a retrial would be scheduled for March 2011.
Christopher A. Drotleff, of Virginia Beach, and Justin H. Cannon, of Corpus Christi, Texas, are charged in the killings, and face the potential of life in prison if convicted.
The 12-member jury began deliberations on Thursday, when they met for about an hour, and then on Friday, when they met for about seven hours. But they were unable to reach a verdict as of 4:30 p.m. EST, and asked to meet again Monday. U.S. District Judge Robert G. Doumar granted that request.
In a trial that lasted more than a week, jurors heard opposing versions of the shooting of a sedan by the two contractors at about 9 p.m. on May 5, 2009, in Afghanistan.
The shooting left the sedan's driver injured and two people dead -- a passenger in the sedan and a man who happened to be walking his dog on the street.
The contractors say they fired in self-defense. They assert that the sedan sped by them as they were driving and struck another SUV they were following, causing it to flip. They said the sedan came at them when they got out to help their colleagues.
But the Justice Department said the sedan posed no threat and that the men concocted their story to cover themselves. They say the car was leaving the scene when it was shot, and that both Cannon and Drotleff were drinking that night.
The men worked for Paravant LLC, a subsidiary of Xe Services, formerly known as Blackwater USA. They were hired to help train the Afghan army in weapons use.
pdujardin@dailypress.com
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